There are certain words that, in this age of American political correctness and entitled righteousness, automatically elicit a certain response, or are warped into weapons to defame, deflect, or defuse any rational line of thought. Words like socialism and racism. When casually thrown around as labels, these words are used by all different groups and interests to cripple legitimate discussion and criticism.

David Simon, the creator of what I still consider to be the best television series of all-time, The Wire, has never shied away from controversial issues and debates. His recent thoughts on the ‘two Americas’, spoken at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney, were published in the Guardian, and if there’s only serious thing you read all year, this should be it: